Writing Good Prompts
The single skill that makes the biggest difference to the quality of AI output.
A prompt is the text you type to an AI tool. The quality of your prompt determines the quality of the response. This is sometimes called prompt engineering — though "clear communication" is a more accurate description of what it actually involves.
Good prompting is like good briefing. A brilliant freelancer given a one-line brief will produce a generic result. Given a detailed brief with context, tone, audience, and examples, they will produce something excellent. AI works in exactly the same way.
Five elements that make a strong prompt
Use the following five elements to structure any prompt that matters.
Context
Tell the AI who you are, what you are working on, and relevant background. For example: "I am a customer success manager as a teacher, an Irish accessibility edtech company..."
Length and format
Specify how long and what format you want. For example: "...in three short bullet points" or "as a 200-word professional email" or "as a bulleted list followed by a one-paragraph summary."
Examples
If you have a preferred style, share a sample. For example: "Here is an email I wrote last month that represents our tone well: [paste it here]"
Audience and tone
Specify who will read this and what tone is appropriate. For example: "The audience is a university IT director who is not technical. Tone: professional, warm, and jargon-free."
Role
Give the AI a role to adopt. For example: "You are a senior technical writer specialising in WCAG accessibility documentation."
See the difference a good prompt makes
Select an option below to compare a weak prompt against a strong one for the same task.
Iteration is the normal way to work
You rarely get the perfect output on the first attempt — and that is expected. Treat AI interaction as a conversation. Follow-up instructions such as "make it shorter", "make it more formal", "add a section about pricing", or "the third paragraph is too stiff — try again with more warmth" all work well.
Prompting tips by role
For customer emails: include the parent or carer's concern, and the outcome you want. For marketing copy: include the target audience, word count, and a link to existing brand guidelines. For developers: include the programming language, the relevant code context, and what you have already tried.
Ready-to-use prompt templates
The following six patterns cover the majority of everyday AI tasks as a teacher. Copy, adapt, and save the ones you use most.
Rewrite
Use when you have a draft that needs improving.
Summarise
Use when you need to distil a long document quickly.
Explain
Use when you need to translate technical content for a non-technical audience.
Generate options
Use when you need a starting list of ideas.
Draft from notes
Use when you have rough notes and need a finished document.
Review and improve
Use when you want critical feedback on something you have written.
Knowledge check
You ask an AI to "write a support response" and receive something generic. What is the best next step?